Review: Lying Out Loud by Kody Keplinger

Published by: Hatchette Children's Books (UK)
Release date: 2nd July 2015 (UK)
Series:  Hamilton High #2
I got it from: Netgalley
Goodreads summary:
Sonny Ardmore is an excellent liar. She lies about her dad being in prison. She lies about her mom kicking her out. And she lies about sneaking into her best friend's house every night because she has nowhere else to go.

Amy Rush might be the only person Sonny shares everything with— secrets, clothes, even a nemesis named Ryder Cross.

Ryder's the new kid at Hamilton High and everything Sonny and Amy can't stand—a prep-school snob. But Ryder has a weakness: Amy. So when Ryder emails Amy asking her out, the friends see it as a prank opportunity not to be missed.

But without meaning to, Sonny ends up talking to Ryder all night online. And to her horror, she realizes that she might actually like him. Only there's one small catch: he thinks he's been talking to Amy. So Sonny comes up with an elaborate scheme to help Ryder realize that she's the girl he's really wanted all along. Can Sonny lie her way to the truth, or will all her lies end up costing her both Ryder and Amy?
 
My review:
There's something so delicious about reading a new book by an author you love, and if you've been waiting for it for a while it feels especially indulgent. I find myself having to force myself to slow down, to not tear through it. A new book by an author I love deserves to be savoured, like a scrummy chocolate dessert. Lying Out Loud is most definitely one of those books. I adored The Duff, and this return to Hamilton High is a most welcome one.

Sonny is one of those rare but brilliant characters - she's not too good to be true. She's average in some ways, incredible in others, and a bit of a bitch in yet others. She's so real, so relateable, I desperately want her for my friend.

And of course, because Keplinger is such a talented author, Sonny isn't the only brilliant character. Each and every character is well-developed and full of those little touches that turn them into real people. Amy perhaps most of all, because she's up there with Sonny sharing the limelight in this book. Yes, Lying Out Loud is a book about friendship, along with a few other things. Now I'm not normally a huge fan of friendship stories. But LOL has enough other stuff going on (including a rather charming romance full of witty banter), that the main story arc is perfectly acceptable, nay, it's better than acceptable. It's wonderful. The whole book feels wonderfully familiar, like putting on your favourite worn clothes and snuggling up on the sofa. It's a comforting sort of feeling I get while reading this, and I really didn't want it to end. It's going straight on my shelf of books I read when I need a lift. Thank you, Ms Keplinger.